if only it were so simple

Barnard Res Life installed new washing machines over the summer to make doing laundry more convenient. Staff writer Eva Sher shares what she learned about these new machines during her last Laundry Sunday.

Last week, as usual, I set the alarm on my phone to go off after thirty minutes to know when to transfer my laundry from the washer to the dryer. And, as usual, I get back after thirty minutes and the machine somehow added more time. Instead of going back to my room for five minutes, I decided to just entertain myself for the time being.

I looked up and a poster I had seen time and time again hung on the wall. It explained how scanning the provided QR code would allow you to see the status of the laundry machines. I thought “this is great! I’ll never have to stand in this awkward limbo between washing and drying every again!” I scanned the QR code, and, to my disappointment, I found that the QR codes don’t work at all.

The QR code took me to a page that shows a layout of every washing machine in every Barnard dorm. In theory, it should display whether the machine is in use or not and how much time is left if it is in use. However, the link just shows that every machine everywhere is available. Over the course of my first semester, I have never found a laundry room completely empty. I also find it hard to believe that the machine in which my clothes were being washed was available.

If the QR codes actually worked, the system would be so beneficial. I could check my laundry’s status from my bed, the Brooks study room, or literally anywhere! But alas, we live in the quad, where nothing really works.